Sennheiser just debuted the wireless Memory Mic for smartphones. For a report, commentary or documentary, the Memory Mic is synchronized with the smartphone app and attached to the clothing via the magnetic clip — and you’re ready to go — unless there’s a lot of ambient noise. So for trade shows or other crowded events, this simply isn’t a good solution.

When recording with the Memory Mic, the integrated microphone of the smartphone is also active and works to concurrently pick up ambient sound. Using the dedicated audio mixer of the Memory Mic App, the user is able to select the optimum balance between ambience and the audio captured with the Memory Mic at a later point in time.

As the wireless Memory Mic does not occupy any input on the smartphone, users can still employ additional accessories such as a gimbal or connect an additional wired microphone for interviews. For iPhones, Sennheiser offers the HANDMIC Digital or the ClipMic digital, for example.

The Memory Mic features a Sennheiser condenser capsule with omni-directional pick-up pattern. Sennheiser claims the omni characteristic is particularly resistant to wind noise and very forgiving if a speaker changes the angle and/or distance at which he or she is talking into the microphone. Via the app, the sensitivity of the microphone can be set at three levels in order to adapt to louder or softer voices. The operating time of the microphone amounts to up to four hours — a full recharge of the integrated lithium-polymer battery via the USB port takes two hours at most. Within an hour, the battery has recharged to about 70 percent of its full capacity.